About

Who I am

For over 70 years...

I’ve been a questioner, a doubter, and a seeker of meaning in life;
At ease with nuance, paradox, the unknown, and the unknowing;
Comfortable with differences and life on the margins;
Committed to social justice, equity, inclusion, and change.

Personally...

I’m a white, queer, cisgender, and educated elder woman; 
a wife, a mother, and a grandmother.
I was raised in the South in the 1950s and ‘60s,
lived adult life in the mid-Atlantic, and retired to Cape Cod.
Across my lifetime, I’ve embraced my evolving faith and fluid sexuality,
as chronicled in my recent memoir,
Evolving: Faith, Sexuality, and Aging.

Professionally... 

I’ve trained at Stillpoint’s Art of Spiritual Direction and
completed the Center for Action and Contemplation’s Living School,
I’m now a spiritual companion, group facilitator, and author.
Retired as a social worker and psychotherapist,
I’ve worked with people experiencing grief, trauma, mental illness,
situational crises, and family and relational challenges.
The listening skills, intuition, and empathy I developed as a clinician
are central to my practice as a spiritual companion.

Spiritually... 

My spiritual journey has traveled a non-dualistic, circular path, and
my faith has evolved beyond the teachings of my religious childhood.
A progressive Christian who respects other faith traditions,
I belong to a welcoming Episcopal Church.
I embrace and value the contribution of doubt
to the development of my ongoing and evolving faith.

Today... 

I experience a sense of the Holy, the Spirit, the Divine...
When I walk on Cape Cod beaches, witnessing the ebb and flow of the tides,
and the pink, red, and gold of sunsets; 
when I watch my young grandchildren play
and my dog romp on the sandy shores;
when I move through the darkness and tensions of daily life,
welcoming the hope that always emerges;
when I honestly speak and write my inner feelings,
and I sit silently in prayerful contemplation;
when I intimately, vulnerably, and lovingly share with others.

If you wish to share your story with me…

I welcome the possibility of being your spiritual director or companion.
I will accompany you as you share your life stories, challenges, and transitions.                    
I am committed to respectful, empathic, attuned, and deep listening                                                       
as you examine your questions and doubts and your sense of spiritual presence.                      
I am open to being with anyone from any faith, religious background, or spiritual identity, 
including no spiritual identity or faith.

To Contact Me…

If you wish to contact me, I will return your message within 48 hours to schedule a time for us to talk.

Professional Bio

Susanne Bennett is a spiritual director, author, and educator living on Cape Cod. A former psychotherapist and university professor at The Catholic University of America and Smith College, she specialized in mental health, attachment, and clinical social work with LGBTQIA+ individuals and families.

Susanne holds a PhD from Smith College, an MSW from the University of Maryland, and a BA in religion from Wake Forest University. She is the co-editor of Adult Attachment in Clinical Social Work: Practice, Research, and Policy (2010, Springer) and has authored over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. She is a recent graduate of the Center for Action and Contemplation’s Living School in New Mexico and an intern at Stillpoint’s Art of Spiritual Direction in California. 

For an extended list of Susanne’s professional experience, view her Curriculum Vitae.